


invitation only

by bvtterfliez



Category: Ever After High, Ever After High Series - Shannon Hale
Genre: Fucked up families everywhere, I surprise even myself sometimes, Like private or riverdale but you know good, Modern AU, Multi, Murder, Royals vs Rebels is probaby some gang/house/high school clique thing?Idk, dark secrets, elitism among students, other ships might come into the mix as I write this, straight? we don't do that here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-02-18 11:11:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21560230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bvtterfliez/pseuds/bvtterfliez
Summary: St Grimm's Academy for Future Leaders had excellent average SAT scores, amazing facilities, a less than terrible uniform and fantastic extracurricular activities. So why does everyone feel like shitorI have a boarding school aesthetic for EAH
Relationships: Ashlynn Ella/Hunter Huntsman, Briar Beauty/Faybelle Thorn, Bunny Blanc/Alistair Wonderland, Darling Charming/Apple White, Ginger Breadhouse/Darling Charming, Kitty Cheshire/Cerise Hood, Madeline "Maddie" Hatter/Lizzie Hearts, Raven Queen/Apple White, Rosabella Beauty/Daring Charming
Comments: 40
Kudos: 141





	1. Chapter 1

Prologue

I know, I know. You want to go straight to the chapter. But this a little too complicated too go straight to the beginning. St Grimm's Academy for Future Leaders may have a massive handbook with things like the honour code and code of conduct, but if you want to survive- REALLY survive- there are three rules.

One-There are two sides to choose from: Royal or Rebel. Pick one.

Two- Your secrets are yours. If they get in the wrong hands, that's your fault.

And three- Your destiny is predetermined. You WILL get good grades. You WILL follow these rules. You WILL respect the people in power, and you WILL graduate and go to an Ivy League school. You have no choice. Everything is set in glittering, granite stone. You do what you're supposed to. Everyone will bow, one way or another. It's not your decision to make.

But you know how life is. Once in a while, people decide to break the rules. And when that happens, sometimes the followers realize they're being tricked.

And the people in power will do anything- ANYTHING- to stop that from happening.


	2. 'Welcome,' said Satan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raven is not happy to be back at school.

If Raven had one word to use on her hellhole of a school, it would be 'fucked'. If she had more than one, she'd use 'screwed up,' 'shitty', and a bunch of other words she'd never use in front of her dad. She leaned away from the window, hoping if she pretended she couldn't see it, she wouldn't. It didn't work, but Raven Queen wasn't a quitter. 

Her SUV pulled up in front of the gate. She glanced at her dad. "I really, _really_ don't want to be here," she began.

Her dad sighed. "Raven..." 

"I hate it here. The students don't like me. The principal doesn't either. I just wanted to make a difference, but I only helped them fit me into their stupid little box -"

"Raven-"

"And now I'm just labeled as this carefree, don't give a fuck girl when I'm so much more-"

" _Raven_ -"

"And then there's the rumour about my mom-"

"RAVEN!"

Raven flinched. Her dad seemed suprised even at himself. "I... I'm sorry. It's just that I-"

Raven cut him off. "It's fine, I get it." She gave him a thin smile. "I'm sorry. It's probably really tiring fathering a problem child like me."

Her dad choked out a laugh. "No. Not tiring. Stressful, sometimes. But never tiring." Raven leaned over and hugged him. "I love you," she whispered. 

"I love you too," he murmured in reply.

She was the first to back away, as always. Not because she didn't want his care, but for fear of hurting him. The way she always hurt people.

* * *

 _Perfect._ It was Apple's favourite word. It captured everything she wanted so beautifully. The best house, the best grades, the best boyfriend, the best friends. She needed everything to add up. Life was an equation- it needed to be balanced.

"Huh," she mumbled. "Poetic." Maybe she'd use it in an English assignment. A poem or something. It was about time she nudged that 99.9% in English to a 100%.

Not that that would be the highlight of her school year. School had just started and her phone was already blowing up with messages. Clearly, no one at St Grimm's slept.

A buzz of her phone interrupted her thoughts. She glanced at the caller's ID, saw who it was and automatically ignored it. _No time for distractions,_ she thought. Best to leave that all in the past, where it should be. Future leaders didn't waste time on people like-

There was a sharp knock at the door. Her new roommate, obviously. "Come in!" she yelled.

The door swung open to reveal a tall pale skinned girl with dark hair swamped with purple highlights. The unmistakable figure of Raven Queen. 

Apple knew who Raven was. Everyone did. Since her arrival last year, she had formed a reputation as a troublemaker, a rulebreaker- the leader of the Rebels. Those guys had always been a pain, but until Raven had come along no one had really taken them seriously. Just a bunch of nobodies trying to bring change that would never come, Apple and her friends had figured. Not anymore. Not now that Raven was here.

A pity. She had such a nice bone structure.

Apple had been only mildly taken aback by Raven's appearance. Raven, however, seemed shocked. "Wha-Apple?! What are you _doing_ here?"

"It's my room," Apple replied. She held back the 'duh' she wanted to say just to be polite. Manners were manners, even in Raven Queen's case.

"No. No, there has to be some mistake. Why would _we_ , of all people, be roommates?!"

Apple shrugged. "I dunno," she said. "Then, without looking at Raven, "Maybe Principal Milton felt I'd be a good influence on you. Help you review your... bad decisions."

Raven narrowed her eyes. " _Right_ ," she said. "Well, I'm gonna unpack. Talk to you never."

Awkward silence went on between the two for about an hour before Apple spoke up. "How's your mother?" she asked.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Raven freeze. She held back a smile. The mention of her mother always inspired demonstrative reactions from Raven.

"She's fine," was the short cool reply. Raven continued bringing out a variety of T-shirts and jeans, though this time there seemed to be a bit more vigour in her throwing. 

"Are you sure? saw on the news-"

"She's **_fine_** , Apple. Leave it."

Apple arched a brow. Raven arched one of her own. Apple shrugged and went back to what she had been doing. "Well, welcome back," she called.

"Welcome back to you, too," Raven replied.

Apple had a feeling that the words seemed to be coming from the Devil on both sides.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who commented or left kudos o this work!


	3. and the little rose dreamed of princesses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Briar is hopelessly in love

Briar Beauty was always the first one to show up at a party and the last to leave.

The loud hip hop music blasting from the speakers pounded in her head as she danced wildly to the music. Briar was crazy; unstoppable. She was in her element, enjoying herself. Living while she still could.

She felt a tap on her shoulder to see who it was. A grin broke out across her face. "Ashlynn!" she cried happily. The two girls embraced. Briar could smell Ashlynn's flowery perfume. accompanied by the smell of dirt and fresh grass. She inhaled the scent and buried her face in her hair, breathing in her shampoo. Threading her fingers through her curls, she leaned in and whispered, "I missed you, Ashlynn." Then she leaned in, pursed her lips and-

"So how was your summer?" Ashlynn asked, jolting Briar from her reverie. "Oh! Well, we went to Mexico!"

"That's cool! Exploring your roots! I went to London for the summer."

"Chip Chip Cheerio!" Briar grinned. Ashlynn laughed and Briar's heart fluttered at the sound. Ashlynn. Beautiful, wonderful Ashlynn. Ashlynn, who made everything shine brighter. Ashlynn, who Briar was in love with.

"Where's Apple?" Ashlynn searched the crowd for their other friend. Briar rolled her eyes. "Ashlynn, sooner or later you're gonna have to accept that Apple White, heir to White Industries, will never have time for parties."

 _Or us._ The words, unspoken but present all the same, hung thickly in the air. Ashlynn cleared her throat. "When are we going to talk to her again?"

"Sometime soon. When she's not in a mood."

Apple White had always been charming, beautiful, smart and talented. However, with her friends, Ashlynn, Briar and sometimes Blondie, she was also known to be affectionate, fun-filled and kind. But of late she had grown distant and cold- a shell of her old self. In the place of their tree of life was a hard marble statue. There would be no getting her back. 

Briar and Ashlynn could tell something was wrong with her, but she wouldn't budge on what. And for a force of nature like Briar and a kind soul like Ashlynn, it was getting harder and harder to be around such a pale and cold rendition of their best friend. 

"I hope she gets better," Ashlynn said, "otherwise we'll be spending more time with Blondie."

Briar shuddered at the thought. Blondie wasn't exactly a bad person, but she _was_ a huge gossip, and you had to be careful what you said around her. She was known to stab even those she called friends in the back for views on her YouTube channel, _Just Right_. Briar wasn't in the mood for her shenanigans this year. Apple had better sit up.

She voiced these thoughts to Ashlynn who laughed out loud. Briar felt warm inside. Ashlynn was so kind, so sweet, so... warm. For her, Briar could do anything. In a life blurry with one crazy event after another, each day having to be a fiasco to fill Briar's truly empty world, Ashlynn was the only thing genuine and real, the only thing that would satisfy her all the time. Ashlynn was Briar's dream come true.

It was almost sad.

Because one day, Briar would kill herself. 

And her dream would never know the truth.

* * *

Little roses in a bush,

Dreaming of a beautiful princess,

To pick them up.

Snip snip snip, snip snip snip

Growing on the castle walls, higher and higher,

Snip snip snip, snip snip snip

Princess leans close, looking for a rose

Snip snip snip, snip snip snip

Thorns prick the princess,

Poor majesty,

Should've stayed away,

Should've never drawn near,

Snip snip snip

'Where are the roses?' 'They don't grow anymore'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this feels rushed and I'm not sure if I did the angst well. Feedback appreciated.


	4. from the other side of the mirror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein the new students are introduced, we meet Darling, and Hunter and Ashlynn meet.

It was the second day of school, technically. The first day marked settling into the dorms. The second was when shit really went down. 

If you hadn't met up with friends at Briar's party last night, you met up with them now, exchanging embraces and whispered words of juicy gossip that had fluttered their way through someone's lips over the summer and ended up as headline news on Blondie's several mediums for gossip. Guys would exchange high fives and fistbumps, or those weird bro hugs. Couples would greet with passionate kisses, most likely not a view desired by other classmates but displayed. Lipstick painted smiles flashed and dashing smirks replied them. Expensive perfumes and colognes flooded the halls. Already cigarettes and maybe a drug or two had been exchanged and you could taste the smoke in the air. The aforementioned whispers were... _everywhere._ A maze of secrets and elitism escaped only by its controllers. Everywhere you went you were drowning in their power. 

_The royals._

That was their way of life.

The rebels did things differently. 

They were a shadow. In to get their schedules and dump their stuff in their assigned lockers, then out just as quick. They didn't carry the same air of perfection, of an envied and seductive life of high-class living and low-class morals. They had something different. A mystery to them, a could care less air. The Royals, especially the inner circle ones, would never admit it, but there was something about the rebels, at least their front liners, that piqued their interest. Something about their way of living, of their movement, perhaps- about how even though they could feel the royals' presence- it was everywhere, enveloping the entirety of St. Grimms- they choose to ignore it, to match it even, with simple arcs of the eyebrows, aware smirks and grins, soft chuckles and loud giggles. The girls held hands and kissed cheeks and bumped hips. There were suspicions that there were intentions other than friendship behind those actions. Some were wrong. Others were right. Really, who cared either way? The rebels had better things to do, better places to be. They were out of the doorway like a shot, to the bleachers, to the back walls... who knew? They were a mystery.

Raven Queen was a rebel, probably the greatest of all. So she had decided to avoid the hallway confrontations all together by getting her locker number and schedule the day before. It took some real convincing on her part, but a small price to pay to escape the oppressive stares and whispers of the student body.

She now sat on one of the walls in a very secluded garden area of the school grounds. No, this wasn't her secret place of refuge from the demands of school life where she reflected on deep and emotional thoughts in a very stereotypical teen bad girl type of way.

That was the roof.

This was a common meeting place for her and her friends. She was patiently awaiting their arrival.

Sure enough, they were right on time. 

Cerise was first. This was a surprise. Cerise was one of those people who had plenty of time on her hands and was super fast but was still always late. Yet here she was, streaking towards Raven with her dark hair flying in the wind like a ribbon or banner. She stopped without even having to catch her breath save for a short draw of it. "Raven," she nodded. "Great to see you. How's life?"

Raven knew not to take offense at Cerise's mostly casual treatment of seeing Raven as offense. Cerise was not used to having friends and until last year she'd been sure high school would be a continuation of that story. She'd made friends in the end but that didn't mean she was going to be squealing and giving out hugs willy-nilly. Unless they were from Kitty, of course. 

Before Raven could even ask about the girlfriend, Cerise answered. "She's with Maddie. Do you know their old school, Wonder Academy? Some old friends of theirs have transferred from there. They're showing them around before they introduce us."

"That's good. Less chances of someone else getting their claws into them this way."

Cerise nodded. "Cedar's on her way. She got sidetracked by some teachers asking if she saw anyone trading drugs. You know how she is."

Raven nodded. Cedar didn't like lying, and in the first place she wasn't even good at it, so she tended to avoid stretching the truth. Raven hoped she'd say she hadn't _seen_ anyone doing such and leave it at that otherwise there would be hell to pay.

Cedar came soon enough- Raven's prayers had been fulfilled and she had just said she hadn't seen them trade anything- followed by Hunter Huntsman, who was disappointed, but not surprised to discover that spending a whole summer away from the girls had not made them forget their incessant teasing of him.

Then the Wonderlanders arrived. 

Even after they finished their first year at St. Grimms, Raven and the rest continued to call them that not only because of their school but their Wonderland-esque personalities- Maddie with her outgoing personality, pretty much nonsensical babble, and insane antics, much like the Mad Hatter himself, Kitty with her mischief and mystery whose resemblance to the actual Cheshire cat was uncanny, and even Lizzie Hearts, a Royal, was temperamental, and, dare Raven say it, a little stuck up. Like the Red Queen. If these new Wonderlanders were anything like the current ones, this year would be a trip.

Kitty came up close to Cerise and wrapped her arms around her. Raven could see her murmur something in Cerise's ear that made her smile and blush. She turned to Maddie, who was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet with a big grin on her face, her turquoise and pink curls bouncing with her (Were there rules against coloured hair? No. Had that been at the result of some hardcore rebellion on the group's part? Hell yeah). "Raven!" She promptly jumped onto Raven's lap for a hug, knocking her off the wall. The two sat up, laughed and then scaled the wall again, sharing a hug as they sat down. "I missed you, Maddie,” Raven smiled.

Maddie grinned back. “Missed you too, Raven. And look, we’ve got some new friends!”

Maddie gestured to two students who had followed Maddie into the garden. One was a boy with a mess of curly blonde hair, the other girl with white hair cut in a short bob and pale green eyes. Maddie hopped off the wall and walked over to them. “Guys, meet Raven. Raven, meet Bunny Blanc and Alistair Wonderland.”

“You’re named after your old school?” Raven asked with an arch of her eyebrow.

“More like the school is named after my grandparents,” Alistair said.

“What’d your grandparents do to get a school named after them?” Cerise asked looking impressed.

“Found it,” Alistair replied.

Hunter looked shocked. “Your parents _own_ the school?”

Alistair nodded.

“And you _left_?”

“Got kicked out.”

Now Cerise looked even _more_ impressed. “For what?” she asked.

“Drugs.” Bunny spoke for the first time. “He got expelled for dealing drugs.”

“Not hard drugs, obviously,” Alistair said hurriedly at the horrified looks on everyone’s faces. “Just, like, weed. LSD. Morphine.”

“Those aren’t hard drugs to you?”

“Unfortunately, they are not,” Bunny said with a scowl. It looked very out of place on her. “He’s lucky he wasn’t arrested. His mother had to plead. The school accepted him only on the condition he doesn’t get in any more trouble.”

“Well you made the wrong decision coming to us, then,” Hunter said flatly. “Getting in trouble is pretty much what we do.”

“Well, they didn’t say I couldn’t get the occasional scrap,” Alistair said with a grin. Bunny glared at him and then stepped on his foot, inspiring a yelp on his part. Raven laughed. She liked Bunny. She seemed on the shy, sweet side, but she seemed to have a more fierce part of her that was probably reserved entirely for Alistair and Alistair alone. Alistair himself was most definitely a troublemaker, or at least a get _into_ troubler, but he seemed pretty intelligent, too. _I mean,_ Raven reasoned, _dumb people don’t really make it far in the drug business._ Raven just hoped they wouldn’t piss off the Royals _too_ much. She didn’t want any drama this year. It wasn’t possible for them to not get into _any_ trouble, but at the very least they could stay off the Royals’ radar, and subsequently, Milton’s. Alistair clearly couldn’t afford to end up in a scandal.

* * *

Darling chewed her bottom lip nervously. Darling was rarely nervous, but when it came to _this_ particular person she always was.

The moment she had seen the class list, she knew this was her chance. Her chance to finally build a bridge and cross it. To find out what she had done wrong and fix it. To finally, _finally_ fix their relationship.

But what was _taking_ so long? Maybe coming thirty minutes before class had been a bad idea. She just wanted to be the first thing Apple saw when she got here. She would get here on time. She always made it a point to be punctual.

 _What would I even say?_ Darling wondered. _Hey! Know you dumped over text without reason and we haven't spoken in two months, you blocked me on all social media sites but didn't block my number for some strange reason, and you've probably forgotten who I am beyond 'Daring's little sister', but I'm attending St. Grimm's now and I want you to take me back!_

Yeah, definitely not a good idea.

But no biggie. Darling loved her so much the right words would probably come on their own. No, definitely come on their own. Darling would say the right words, and even if she didn't take her back on the spot, she'd at least _talk_ to Darling. 

And if she didn't, Darling would move on. Obviously. She wasn't some dumb girl in a movie who cried over exes. Not even a tear.

It was as Darling was deep in her thoughts that the girl she had been pining over all summer entered the room. 

"Darling?"

Apple White.

Darling's breath caught at the sight of her. Golden hair. Big blue-grey eyes. Blood red lips. Curves and bosom breasts that Darling had been looking forward to spending the summer exploring.

Instead, her family went on a trip to fucking Greece. I mean, it was beautiful, but Darling would have liked it better if _Apple_ was one of the naked goddess lady statues. Also if she was allowed to caress the statues.

Suddenly Darling realized she had been staring far too long. She cleared her throat and said...

"Hey, Apple."

'Hey, Apple?' _Seriously?_ Darling cursed herself. _Months of crying, anger, pining and frustrated masturbation, and_ that's _your big line? 'Hey, Apple?' You're an idiot. This is why you failed Literature._

Darling swallowed and struggled to look for the words to make up for her ridiculous blunder. "I- um- it's good to- I mean- you-"

Apple watched Darling's pathetic attempt to form coherent sentences with a delicately arched eyebrow. It was _so_ sexy, and _so_ not what she wanted to see. She wanted an endearing smile or an affectionate laugh, or something! Not an eyebrow raise. Oh no, now she was thinking of the eyebrow-raising contest they had on their third official date, which ended in kissing, which was making her thinking _about_ kissing, which was making her look at Apple's lips, which was making her look pervy. _Stop looking at her lips, stop looking at her lips-_

"You know what, we might as well get this over with."

Apple's voice was cold and sent a shiver through Darling's spine. She'd never sounded like that, not even during some of their worst fights (those all ended in kissing).

"Look, Darling, I admit the way I ended things was insensitive, and I'm sorry. But don't you see? We can't be together. It was fun while it lasted, but it has to end."

Darling's bottom lip trembled. No. No, she wouldn't cry. She wasn't the dumb ex-girlfriend, remember? "But- but I love you," she stammered out. "So much. I- you were my-" She couldn't bring herself to say 'everything'. It was true, but she couldn't let Apple hear it, not when she was going to break her heart like this. "Can't you at least tell me what I did wrong?" she managed finally. 

Apple bit her bottom lip. She opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly the door opened, letting in Darling's godforsaken brother, Daring. _Can you get out?_ she felt like screaming. _We're trying to have a moment!_

But then, he snaked his arm around Apple's waist. "Hey, baby," he said, greeting her with a kiss on the lips. Then he looked up and his face lit up. "Hey, Darling!" he greeted cheerfully, oblivious to the look of shock written on his sister's face. "Glad you guys have met. Apple, this is my sister Darling. Darling, this is Apple, my Girlfriend since the start of freshman year."

In the back of her mind, a tiny part of her was rolling her eyes at him introducing his girlfriend along with the time he'd been dating her like she was a car, but most of her was doing math. 

Freshman year had started in August. Darling and Apple started dating in late November.

Darling wasn't the ex.

She was the side chick.

* * *

Ashlynn was climbing a tree. Probably not the best idea in a skirt, but whatever.

She had been eating a fruit salad when one of her friends mentioned salts and she thought of cancer because everything these days reminded her of cancer, and she just couldn't sit at that table, laughing at Daring's bad jokes about Hopper's bad acne and eating bad salad (the vegetarian options here were really uninspired) while he mother had cancer. She just couldn't.

So she climbed a tree because trees reminded her of when she was six, and her mom was healthy enough that she could climb trees and hang out on the branches with Ashlynn and tell her what the tree was called and how tall it could grow and how they should never cut down trees because they were so important. And it made it hurt less that she was on the brink of dying, that Ashlynn would probably never hear her lectures about trees again.

Ashlynn leaned her head against the thick tree trunk. A bird had made a nest at the end of the branch and was hopping around its eggs excitedly. They seemed to have just hatched. _How wonderful,_ Ashlynn thought, _to know you have forever to spend with your_ mother. She knew it wasn't healthy to be so melancholy, but she couldn't bring herself to be happy for the birds when her mother was probably going to die.

She sighed and turned around, wrapping her arms and legs around the truck like she was hugging it. As she did so, however, she felt her shoes touch skin.

She froze, and she felt the person freeze too. Cautiously, she leaned to the right. 

She saw a tall, tan, muscular boy, his half-shaven head leaning to the left, probably looking for Ashlynn herself. Ashlynn touched her strawberry blonde hair subconsciously. Tangled with twigs and leaves in it. Not impressive at all. 

She swallowed. "Um, hi."

"Hi." The voice that replied was smooth and sort of deep, but not scary deep or Daring deep, just... deep. A nice deep. A friendly, approachable, all-round nice guy deep.

"So, I don't think we talk much, otherwise I'd know your voice. And in a school like ours, I think we shouldn't look at each other, not right now. So. Maybe just look at the tree."

"No point. Already know who you are."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You're Ashlynn Ella. Apple's friend." The word, 'Apple' held a tone of... not quite contempt, but more like personal disapproval. Nevertheless, Ashlynn felt a surge of protectiveness for her. "What do you have against Apple?" she demanded.

"That she's a Royal."

"So you're a Rebel."

"Yup."

"So shouldn't you be pushing me off the tree?"

"Nah. Your crowd is more likely to do the pushing."

"In that case, why are we still talking?"

"Because I've always liked you. You're nice to Hopper. And you're a lot more environmentally conscious than most Royals. I noticed you ride a bike instead of using a car. Very cool."

Ashlynn felt surprised. "So... you don't think I'm stuck up?"

"I think Apple's stuck up. I think Daring's stuck up. I definitely think _Blondie's_ stuck up. But I've always liked you."

"Then how come we don't talk in school?"

"Because of the whole Royal/Rebel thing. Being your friend wouldn't cause any bad blood between me and my friends, but I would never get past your bouncers and even if I did, they'd find out and drive your name into the dirt. Grimm would put a sign on your back saying troublemaker and make you a scapegoat for everything that goes wrong around here. Like he does to me and my friends. And please stop calling us 'Rebels'. It's a really dumb name."

Ashlynn shrugged. "Okay. But if I could just ask... what is it about us you hate? Not the whole lot of you. Just... _you_. Personally, why do you take their side?"

For a moment the boy was silent. Then, "I'm here on scholarship."

Ashlynn blinked. "So what?"

"At this school? So everything. We have a terrible elitism issue here. Scholarship students like me are the scum of the school even to the staff. They mark us down, we're more at risk to get expelled for even the smallest offenses, we're bullied for not having much money, our extracurricular and elective options are limited. I can't join football club. I've always wanted to join the team. But I'm not allowed. All of my friends get shit, but there are certain things Milton doesn't do out of fear that some students rich ass parents will do to him. My parents are carpenters. What'll they do? Make him bad shelves?" The boy gave a shaky laugh. "But people like you have enough money to buy England. Milton is scared of your parents and impressed by your wealth. So he gives you guys the life and makes scholarship kids, people that 'aren't that rich' or people whose parents aren't in the public's favour a hard time. And all of us, especially the scholarship kids, suffer in silence. Because there's nothing else we can do."

Ashlynn felt her heart drop. All this time she had been rolling in privilege while people like this boy experienced prejudice beyond belief. No wonder he hated the Royals. And Apple- oh god, _Apple_. She had the school in her pocket. She could see how that could make a guy feel like shit. Softly, she said, "I had no idea."

"None of you do. Well, some do, but they choose to laugh rather than sympathize."

They shared silence for a while. Then the boy glanced up at the sky. "It's getting dark. We should head back."

Ashlynn nodded. "Yeah, we should." Without looking in the other boy's direction, she climbed down the tree. She could hear him doing the same. They reached the floor at the same time. Ashlynn spoke without thinking. "At least give me your name."

The boy hesitated. Then he said, "Hunter Huntsman. Don't look for me."

Then he ran off, not letting Ashlynn see his face.

She wasn't going to take that order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry I took so long to update! Thank you to all of y'all who read the earlier chapters. Leave a comment and Hunter and Ashlynn's segment, I'm not sure about it.


	5. death of a narrator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cupid meets the Rebels, and Darling and Ginger discover a horrible secret.

_I am in so much trouble_.

This was the only thought on Darling’s mind as she determinedly kneaded the dough in front of her. Normally she would have appreciated making pastries during her first Home Economics class and being paired with the cute Indian girl next to her (her name was Gunja Breadhouse, but everyone called her Ginger, because why not), but today her mind was clouded with yesterday’s encounter with Apple- and her boyfriend, Daring.

Boyfriend. Even though Apple had told her she was a lesbian when they met. Darling didn’t really care if she was bi, but what was with the lying to her? To her, and to Daring. Later that day, Daring had engaged her in a riveting conversation of the details of his and Apple's relationship and had mentioned how he was terrified he’d never find love because, apparently, all the girls who were hot enough for him were Rebels, and even if he ‘stooped to that level’, none of them were straight. Even after Darling pointed out the existence of bisexual people. He had waved a hand dismissively and said, “Bi, les, whatever. Same thing.”

Which was obviously, you know, _not true_ , but before Darling could say so class started and their conversation ended abruptly. It confirmed what Darling suspected, anyway-that Apple had been lying, to one of them at least. It made her stomach churn, but she couldn’t help thinking that she might have been an experiment-nothing more than a fleet of curiosity about the other team. And now that the experiment was over, she could be disposed of- ignored.

Darling crushed the dough beneath her palms. Ignored. That was what hurt the most about this- the thought of being disregarded, tossed aside like a piece of garbage. She was just a bump on Apple’s road of perfection. She didn’t matter; she wasn’t needed. She was obsolete.

“Um, Darling?” Ginger’s voice snapped Darling out of her thoughts. “You’re killing the dough.”

Darling stared down at the chopping board. Sure enough, she had flattened the dough until it was sticking to the board. She felt her ears turn red. “Uh, sorry,” she mumbled.

“It’s fine.” Ginger smiled at her reassuringly. “I’ve made more than enough dough and I’ve finished kneading already. You can help me cut it up and put it in the oven.”

Darling nodded and picked up a cookie-cutter as she began making shapes in the dough. Deciding she had spent too long brooding over her ex she chose to make conversation. “So, Ginger. Can I call you that?” Ginger nodded. “You like to cook?”

Ginger blushed. “Was it that obvious?”

“Nah, everyone in this school knows how to bake. We’re not going to a private prep school populated by rich guys with private chefs. All of us would know to do the things you did.”

Ginger laughed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Although I try not to judge because their rich, you know? I mean for all I know these people could be expert chefs.”

“Ginger? I’m one of these people. Except for maybe Ashlynn and Apple, these guys could burn water.”

Ginger smiled, though this time it seemed duller. “So, you’re friends with Apple and Ashlynn, huh?” She pressed a cookie-cutter forcefully into the dough.

Darling raised an eyebrow. “Uh, I wouldn’t say ‘friends’. I’d say, ‘my brother likes them and I’m new, so he tried to make us get along, but as nice as Ashlynn is, as a team their both really, really boring’.”

That wasn’t true. Apple had never been boring to Darling. But as furious as she was with Apple, she didn’t want to out her to the whole school and revealing they knew each other might just do that, as Darling had NO intention of staying in the closet.

Ginger’s smile seemed real again. “Huh. Who’s your brother?”

“Daring Charming.”

Ginger suddenly stopped cutting the dough. “No way. Your brother is Daring Charming?”

“Unfortunately. Don’t tell me you’re one of his adoring fans.”

“No! No, far from it. Um… I’m not sure how to tell you this, but your brother’s actually kind of a dick.”

“I know that. I live with him.”

Ginger shook her head. “No, he’s not a ‘big brother’ dick. He’s a ‘shallow, self-obsessed popular guy’ dick. Think less Eric Matthews and more early first season Noah Puckerman.”

Darling blinked. Okay. Wasn’t expecting that. “How do you know?” she asked. Ginger rolled her eyes and continued cutting dough. “I’m not trying to be accusatory or defend him or anything. I’m asking. I want to know what he’s done to make you think that.”

Ginger sighed and turned around. “Well for one, he tried to stop my friend Cerise from getting on the football team last year. When she managed to get on it in spite of him, suddenly there was a rumour all over school about her parents- that her dad was some kind of mob boss who raped her mom and that’s how she and her sister were born. Blondie- that’s the girl who started spreading it around online- will swear otherwise, but we’ve got plenty of evidence to prove Daring was her source. He’s famous for how he broke Lizzie Heart’s, well heart last year, and he’s always making fun of his so-called friend, Hopper Croakington III. Who the fuck tells the whole school about his best friend’s anxiety, for fuck’s sake?”

“He did what?” Darling couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Don’t get me wrong, he can have his nice moments. And that happened in freshman ear, so I guess it’s ‘all in the past’ now. But the bad outweighs the good. So I’m not trying to turn you against your brother, but maybe not ally yourself so closely with him behind school walls. You don’t want people to throw you and him in the same lot. I’m told there are a LOT of people who would like to get him back this year. The names I’ve heard dropped… suffice it to say that Lizzie Hearts, Hunter Huntsman, and Duchess Swan are not very nice when they’re pissed.”

Darling nodded. “So is there anything else I need to know?”

“Unless there’s something going on in your family I don’t know about, if Daring’s your brother, so is Dexter, correct?”

Darling nodded. “We’re twins, actually. And we’re nine months younger than Daring, if you were wondering how we’re all in the same class.”

“I was, actually. Anyway, stick with Dexter. He’s good people, and as far as the Royal versus Rebel thing runs, even Daring’s not a big enough dick to let anyone hurt his brother.”

“Yeah, that Royal versus Rebel thing. I don’t quite get it. Where’d that come from?”

“Honestly? No one knows. But it’s apparently something everyone has to participate in, lest you sit alone at lunch. Basically, Royals are the jocks, cheerleaders, preps, and popular kids rolled into one. They’re teachers’ favourites- if a Royal and a Rebel pull the same prank, at the same time on the same day, a Rebel is more likely to get detention. It’s worth noting- not a single scholarship student. While the Rebels are pretty much every underdog rolled in one. If you’re on scholarship, or your parents are only upper-middle-class or out of favour with the public, or if you got tired of the rules around you or if those guys just piss you off… they’re your crowd. I identify with most of the Rebel ideals but the label makes me uncomfortable. That’s true for most of us. There are people who just don’t take part, but they mostly come in groups and don’t talk to anyone else. No one really means to exclude them- this school is just really dramatic and you don’t know who to trust.”

Darling nodded thoughtfully. That explained everything. “So, because of some kind of… gang war that no one knows the origins of, teachers pick favourites and my brothers don’t hang out at school?”

Ginger nodded. “It sucks, but it’s true. And it’s not really a gang war. Although…”

“Although what?”

Ginger paused, then leaned in towards Darling. “I’m roommates with Melody Piper? She’s a DJ, and while she was performing at a party for Briar Beauty’s party, she overheard these two girls talking about a girl named Brooke Page who got jumped last year, some weeks before graduation. Said she was dead and a student was responsible but the school wasn’t telling us so as not to cause a panic. And I’m like, obviously not true, right? But then, I stumbled on some files during computer class. It was the attendance records for all the students last year. And after the week the girls claimed she was killed, Brooke never showed up to school again.

“Mrs Trollsworth, the school secretary, of all people caught me and shooed me out. But these glasses work pretty well, and on my way out I saw her change Brooke’s status- whether she’s still attending the school or not- to terminated. Not ‘expelled’ or ‘left’ like they wrote for everyone else. Terminated.”

Darling frowned. “That’s horrible, but it only proves Brooke is dead, not that a student killed her or that it has anything to do with the Royal Vs Rebel shit.”

Ginger chewed on her bottom lip nervously. “I have concrete evidence of both.”

Darling arched an eyebrow. “How?”

Ginger swallowed. “I… I found the body.”

* * *

Cupid was already tired of being Blondie Locke’s roommate, and she had only been that for about five minutes.

Blondie was nosy, invasive, pushy, had no respect for boundaries or personal space, and couldn’t seem to draw a line between Cupid’s stuff and hers. Already she had stolen Cupid’s hairdryer, notebook, three pens, and a scrunchie. And- _again_ \- they had only been sharing a room for _five minutes_. Cupid didn’t want to know what Blondie was going to do when it had been a week.

And she never stopped _talking_. Cupid would be lying if she said she didn’t have talkative moments, but usually only when she was really nervous or excited. Blondie didn’t seem to be either, and yet she wouldn’t shut up. About her hair. About her YouTube channel Just Right. About her family- oh she would not. Shut. _Up_ about her family. How they were hotel moguls who were known for their fantastic interior design and food, how they wanted to send her to a _much_ better school overseas but she was a ‘brave girl’ and settled for St. Grimm’s, how they could never make it to school functions because they were so busy handling ‘important charity functions’ but it was fine because they always brought plenty of stuff for little old her.

Cupid was glad when the bell for dinner rang. “Well, gotta run,” she said, feigning disappointment while she internally praised the gods for setting her free.

“Wait!” Blondie called out. Cupid cursed. “Don’t you want to sit with me and my friends at dinner? I’m sure they’d all _love_ to meet you.”

_And I’d_ love _to tear your blonde hair out of your head and use it to strangle you to death, but unfortunately, we can’t always get what we want._

“Uh, I wouldn’t want to intrude-”

“Nonsense! They’d be happy to have you.”

There Cupid stood, desperately looking for a way to escape without accidentally offending Blondie when a tall brown-skinned brunette girl wearing pink shades (in autumn? Really? How pretentious) and a strawberry blonde girl with big green eyes walked out of the room next door, laughing together. Blondie’s eyes lit up at the sight of them. “Briar! Ashlynn! Hi, so good to see you guys! I haven’t seen you since we resumed! One might think you were avoiding me!”

The strawberry blonde girl- Cupid wasn’t sure if she was Briar or Ashlynn- let out a nervous, high pitched laugh. “Us? Avoid you? Never!” The brunette next to her had a look that read, ‘Please help me.’ Part of Cupid felt sorry for them- the rest was thankful that they had given her the opportunity to escape. Before Blondie could jump at the chance to introduce her she ran like the wind.

By the time she had reached the cafeteria, she was out of breath. At this point something finally occurred to her- she had no one to sit with. As annoying as Blondie was, she had offered her a table- people to sit with. Even if she had to put up with her incessant chatter, she could at least put up with it surrounded by less annoying people. Now she was alone.

Nervousness wracked her body. How did she make friends at Gothica Prep last year again? She… accepted an invitation to sit somewhere at lunch. Which she had done the opposite of earlier. _Fuck._

Cupid was all set to panic when she heard a voice behind her. “Lost as well, huh?”

Cupid whipped around to face a girl with hair that was such a pale, peroxide blonde that it could be easily compared to white gold and bright blue eyes. She gave Cupid a soft smile. “Darling Charming.”

_Charming… where had Cupid heard that name before?_ “Are you related to Daring Charming? That guy everyone likes?”

Darling rolled her eyes. “Unfortunately. He offered an invitation to sit with him at lunch, but I turned it down because I don’t like his friends. Then I remembered I don’t have any other friends.”

Cupid laughed. “No way! That’s exactly what happened to me with my roommate Blondie.”

“Blondie? The gossip channel person?”

“Yeah. Though of course, _she_ described it as ‘simply a way to share information with the masses.’”

Darling scoffed. “Yeah, right. Come on, let’s go get lunch then look for a table together. I met someone during Home Economics who I don’t think would mind letting us sit at her table. Her name’s Ginger Breadhouse. She’s a fantastic chef.”

The two girls continued chatting- about music, TV, their roommates (Darling was roommates with the much nicer Rosabella Beauty, an activist who had already gotten Darling to sign a dozen petitions) and the schools they went to before now. Darling attended Hans Christian Andersen Academy for Gifted Young Girls. She didn’t miss it much, though she did meet two girls she liked- Meeshell Havfrue and Justine Dancer. She was always getting into trouble at Hans Christian’s and intends to continue that tradition at St Grimm’s. Cupid told Darling about how she moved to New Salem from Greece, and about her old radio show and her old friends- Frankie Stein, Laura Dracula (no, not a vampire, just very pale) Claudine Wolf and Cleopatra Rashida.

The two kept talking till Darling caught sight of who she was looking for. It was an Indian girl with huge pink glasses. “Hey, Ginger!” Darling yelled. “Can me and my friend Cupid sit with you guys?”

Ginger grinned. “Yeah, sure!” she replies. Darling smiled at Cupid and lead her to the table. Ginger shifted a little to make room. So did the girl next to her- tall with a white streak in her dark hair and pretty silvery eyes- and there was enough space for Darling and Cupid to squeeze in.

“Guys, this is Darling. We met in Home Ec.”

“Hi Darling.” The greeting came from a tall girl with black hair swamped by purple highlights, and… were those _violet eyes_? The girl caught Cupid staring but luckily only smiled. “Genetic mutation. I’m Raven Queen.”

“I’ve heard of you,” Darling said.

Raven arched an eyebrow. “Really? From whom?”

“My- my _brother’s_ girlfriend. Apparently you’ve absolutely completely ruined life at this school for her.”

The girl next to Ginger snorted. “Yeah, right.”

Raven looked amused. “Nice to know Apple White still talks about me. I was beginning to think I’d been forgotten.”

The whole table laughed. Cupid laughed too but gave Darling a curious look. Why did she stammer when talking about Daring’s girlfriend? Before she could inquire, two boys ran up. One was tall with half-shaven brown hair and hazel eyes, and the other… he just took her breath away.

He had thick brown hair that looked soft to the touch and deep blue eyes behind the thick-framed glasses he was wearing. Cupid thought she could get lost in those eyes. For the first time, she realized what Billie Eilish was talking about.

“Hey guys,” the Shaved Head greeted. He glanced at Cupid and Darling. “Okay, I’ve been to Dexter’s house, so I recognize _you_ ,” he said, pointing to Darling “but not you.” He nodded at Cupid. “Name?”

“Cupid,” Cupid breathed out, still mesmerized by the other boy.

Darling was focused on him too. For a second Cupid worried about a possible love triangle, but then she saw the gaze was one of horror. And suddenly Cupid noticed their similarities- the same blue eyes, same delicate nose, and- looking closer- the same expression of horror.

“Dexter?”

“ _Darling?_ ”

Darling moaned. “ _No._ No, no, no. The whole point of not hanging out with Daring was not being grouped with my brother. What are you _doing_ here? Get your own friends!”

“ _I_ should get my own friends?! I was here first! You get your own friends!”

Cupid stared as Darling and Dexter argued. Again, she was caught, this time by Shaved Head guy. “Don’t worry. Darling and Dexter aren’t always like this. It’s just been a while since they had to occupy the same space outside of school. They’ll settle down after a while. I’m Hunter, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“You’ll change your mind about that when you get to know him,” the silver-eyed girl said sarcastically. Next to her a dark-skinned girl started giggling. “I’m Cerise,” the silver-eyed girl said. “The giggler here is Cedar.”

“Everyone else you’ll want to meet has a table of their own,” Ginger added, “over there.”

Cupid glances in the direction Ginger is pointing too. The table consisted of four girls and one boy. They used a lot of hand gestures and talked animatedly with each other. “Wonderlanders,” Ginger said. “They all came from a school called Wonderland High, so we call them that.”

“They’re all our friends,” Raven explained, “except for Lizzie. She sees through the Royal/Rebel thing just enough to hang out with her friends but I doubt shell ever warm up to us. And it’s not fair to turn them against each other, so they sit at a different table.”

Cupid nods understandingly. Blondie had explained the whole Royal/Rebel schematic upstairs. It was the only thing Cupid paid attention to.

After a while the two Charmings stopped arguing. The table easily slipped into conversation about sports (Cerise was on the football team and Darling wass going to try out for fencing), more music (Raven wrote songs and played guitar, and she and some other students were thinking of forming a band. Dexter liked music too and sometimes he and Raven recorded songs together. Cupid didn’t miss the fact that Dexter and Raven shared the reserved nature and the well-intentioned awkwardness of ex-lovers) and the teachers at St Grimm’s (a librarian caught Cerise and her girlfriend, Kitty, kissing and accused them of impropriety even though she had caught countless other Royal, straight couples doing the same, maybe worse and turned a blind eye). Cupid felt comfortable. For the first time since she left Gothica-honestly, since she left Greece- Cupid felt at home.

* * *

It was midnight when Ginger texted Darling to let her know it was time.

Quietly Darling slipped out of bed and into slippers so soft they wouldn’t make a sound, picking up a flashlight on her way. She opened the door and cringed at the creak, turning to see if Rosabella had noticed, but the girl was still fast asleep. Swallowing, Darling continued and shut the softly behind her.

As promised, Ginger was waiting at the foot of the stairs, a flashlight in hand. Darling couldn’t help snickering at her pyjamas-bright pink and patterned with big donuts. Ginger rolled her eyes and gestured for Darling to follow her.

Ginger led Darling through a door that opened up to a set of stairs. “The school basement,” Ginger whispered. “Where we keep the old shit- and also things Principal Grimm doesn’t want us seeing. Last person to come down here? Jacqueline Beanstalk. She promised Blondie a big expo on something she found down here. Two days later she was expelled. Second day of school, when I found the body? I had to hide here for an hour and a half waiting for Professor B. Nimble to pass by. It is **crucial** we don’t get caught, understood?”

“Yes ma’am,” Darling said, impressed by Ginger’s sudden force.

Ginger and Darling crept down the stairs until they reached the basement. Darling flashed her flashlight around. So far she didn’t see anything strange- just some old props and decorations, stuff that was obviously left behind by older students-video cassettes, mixtapes, old radios… nothing out of the ordinary. Darling turned her light in the direction of a stack of books. One of them caught her eye, because on the front of it was a tall brunette with blue eyes.

Her mom.

“Whoa,” Darling murmured. She wandered over to the stack and blew off the dust.

“St Grimm’s Academy for Future Leaders, 1992 to 1993,” Darling read out. She flipped through the pages. A lot of them contain pictures of math clubs and football teams and other stuff she doesn’t care about. She found a page about the cheerleaders though, and with her mom in it- ‘Grace Crown, captain of the cheerleading team’. The book told her to flip to page 57, where she saw Grace voted for ‘Most Likely to Always Be Happy’. Darling snorted. It’s as far from the truth as anything can be.

Next to her mom’s award was… Apple’s mom’s, apparently. Darling’s eyes widened. Her mom always told her she and Apple’s mom were good friends, but Darling couldn’t see how that was possible when she was apparently second to Apple’s mother in every possible way. Bianca ‘Snow’ White was voted most beautiful, best couple, best sense of humour, and most responsible among much more awards.

Darling was in the process of shutting the book when she accidentally flipped to a page with a picture of a girl who looked so much like Raven it was almost like looking at a photo of Raven herself. Underneath her photo, the name ‘Mira Queen’ was printed- or at least, that’s what Darling made out from beneath the pink gel that had written ‘Evil’ over her name as some sort of bad joke. Mira was the president of something called the… S.A.E.S.G? Darling furrowed her brow. That made no sense at all. When she flipped to page 57, she found that Mira was only voted ‘Most Likely to Be an Activist’. Something told Darling that wasn’t a compliment.

“Psst. Darling! Hurry up, I found it… sort of.”

Darling glanced up at Ginger, who was now several feet away. “Coming,” she said. The yearbook in hand, she hurried after Ginger. Ginger shed light on a trap door in the floor. “Guess they figured out this wasn’t the best place to hide a dead body.”

“Nowhere in this school is the best place to hide a dead body. Why don’t they dump it in a lake or some shit?”

“The only lake anywhere close is public property. They can’t bury it because we often dig on school grounds for projects, and digging anywhere else close is illegal. I doubt they’re keeping it here forever anyway- probably just till they find somewhere better to put it.”

Darling shrugged. “I guess that makes sense.”

Ginger opened the trap door and the two clambered down the stairs, Darling shutting the door behind them. Darling shuddered. The room was dark and much smaller than the basement, about the size of a one-bedroom apartment and clouded with cobwebs and the stench of…

_A dead body_.

“This place is creepy,” Darling whispered.

“I know,” Ginger whispered back. Then she pointed her flashlight in front of them. Darling gaped. It was unmistakeable. The object before them was a coffin.

“Shit,” Darling cursed. “Shit. That is…. Shit.”

“Ready to see what’s inside?” Hesitantly Darling nodded. “Sure? Cause once you do, you’re a witness. There’s no backing out. And- as hard as it will be- you have to _promise_ not to freak out, because the moment you do our cover is blown.”

Against her better judgement Darling nodded again. Ginger nodded. “Okay. Remember, don’t freak out.”

Slowly, Ginger opened the coffin…

And sure enough, the wide open, rolled back eyes of a dead body stared back.

Darling couldn’t even find the courage to scream. The girls body was nicked with open scars, her mouth hanging open, her clothes shredded.

And worst of all?

Spray-painted on her body were the words:

‘Royal or Rebel. Pick a side or die.’

Darling staggered back in horror. “I…I…” She was at a loss for words. Ginger nodded sombrely. “Brooke didn’t choose between Royal or Rebel. She stayed out of the conflict entirely- but she watched it unfold. Upon further investigation I found out that she was on the newspaper last year and wrote several articles on Royal versus Rebel scandals. Some of them were popular, others weren’t, but in each case no one bothered to find out who wrote them. No one knew Brooke, not really. To this day I can’t find a single person who she called a friend- believe me, I’ve looked. And the one time someone did notice her…”

“It was to bring her an untimely death,” Darling whispered. “What kind of psychopath-”

“Would kill someone in the name of some silly high school clique, right? Except it’s worse than just a clique now. This is just the worst of many cases where students like us took this shit too far, on _both_ sides. Before Jacqueline was expelled, she got a black eye from her own girlfriend, Nina Bell. She was angry because a group of students were suspended for daring to speak up about some rich kid picking on people. Jacqueline wasn’t even a Royal- she didn’t pick a side even though her parents are rich- but Nina saw it as her being loyal to the Royal ideas but pretending not to care so she could date her. And Lily Bo actually locked some kids in a janitor’s closet, at night, with a bird in there because they were asked if they took Raven’s side on an issue or Apple’s and they said they didn’t know. Tensions between the two sides are rising, and people are targeting anyone who doesn’t know where they stand. It’s more than a clique. I think that the sides represent things now, ideals that sort of… not quite contradict, but are dissimilar from one another. Subconsciously, I think, it’s become exactly what you called it- a gang war.”

Darling shook her head. “I- we have to call the police.”

“What do you think I did the moment I found the body? They didn’t _believe_ me. I think that somehow, Grimm got his claws into the police department. We’re the only students in this school that know about Brooke Page. Even the girls who Melody overheard it from don’t believe it anymore. We have to keep it that way until we know the next step. So you can’t tell anyone.”

“Not even-”

“Anyone.” Ginger dragged out the word.

Darling nodded mutely.

“Good. Tomorrow I’m going to Brooke Page’s old room- current room to Holly and Poppy O’Hare- the latter of whom is known as neutral. I need someone to distract them while I look for anything of significance. You in?”

Darling thought about it for only a second. She’d never known Brooke personally, but she wanted justice. She wanted peace. She wanted this Royal/Rebel thing to end.

“Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can def read this as Darling/Ginger- I'm beginning to ship it myself. Reconsidering the tags so if your method of finding this story is through tags, maybe find another way. Is the whole Royal Vs Rebel thing starting to seem unrealistic/cringey to y'all? It's feeling that way to me.   
> Royals: Represent privilege, wealth and tradition- whether those traditions are good or not. Mostly homophobic (unless you're rich) elitist and status is everything.  
> Rebels: Represent the underdogs- scholarship students, people who aren't as rich, the lgbt+ community (despite the fact that they're clearly predominant the odds are stacked against them) pocs (almost everyone in EAH is white I've noticed, and the people who aren't seem to either be rebels or have underlying rebel ideas or mindsets), and anyone who just doesn't approve of the system or play Grimm's rules.  
> If it seems like I'm biased, I'm afraid everything stated about the royals applies in the cartoon too. Most Royals are, in fact, Royal and have destinies laid ahead of them that are favourable, and ignore other people's suffering in favour of rolling in their own privilege, choosing to stick to old, archaic traditions that abuse the little people because they support their own privilege. I am reflecting that here. Anyway, please leave a comment.


	6. princesses stick together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blondie and Apple begin to bond. Briar and Hunter meet for the first time, and Ashlynn discovers something horrible and unexpected.

_Just right._

It was a mantra Blondie had always lived by. The right school, the right friends, the right image. Blondie did the right thing every time.

And yet still, she was on the outside.

She knew from the moment she saw the looks on her friends’ faces that despite all her best efforts, she hadn’t gotten through to them. They still mistrusted her, looked down on her. She had done so much, and still she wasn’t accepted. She clenched her breakfast tray. _What did she have to do to get their seal of approval?_

She swallowed her nerves and took a seat next to Ashlynn. “Good morning guys!” she greeted in a falsely chipper tone. Not that they would notice. “One day down, forever more to go, huh?”

Briar cracked a grin. It _seemed_ genuine. Blondie couldn’t be sure- there was no way to inspect her expression closer without creeping her out. “Sick of school already and it barely begun. I am so ready to get out of this place.”

Ashlynn raised an eyebrow. “You’re not even a junior.”

“It’s never too early to start thinking about dropping out to deal acid,” Briar joked.

Everyone at the table laughed. Blondie gazed at Briar with barely concealed envy. How did she _do_ that? Making the others laugh was a constant struggle for Blondie, but Briar did it effortlessly, sometimes even without meaning too. Blondie would give anything to switch places with _her._

Well. Actually, she wouldn’t do _anything._

There was really only one girl Blondie wanted to be that desperately.

_Apple White._

Smart, beautiful, popular, _rich_ … Apple was what every student at a school as prestigious as St. Grimm’s wanted to be, Blondie included. She had the best friends and the best grades, the best _boyfriend._ Blondie looked up to her. More than that, she _owed_ her. As much as Blondie felt like an outsider in this circle, she wouldn’t even _be_ in it if Apple hadn’t taken her under her wing. And under Apple’s careful guidance and scrutiny, she could blossom. She would. She _had_ to.

Blondie carefully studied Apple today. Golden blonde hair in a complicated old school pin up, she looked like she was attending St. Grimm’s in the 60s or 70s. On anyone else it would have been an embarrassingly stupid look, worthy of Blondie’s blog as a fashion don’t, but on Apple it was a charming look. She smiled gently at Briar and Ashlynn’s antics. Blondie watched Daring move his hand to Apple’s knee and notice her smile go thin. _Interesting._ A breakup on the horizon…

 _It would be the scoop of the century,_ one part of her whispered.

 _Apple would never approve- you even_ asking _will ruin things between you two. And the only reason anyone takes your stories seriously is because you have Apple’s support._

It was painful but true. A gossip column like Blondie’s would be seen as ridiculous, downright malicious if it wasn’t for Apple’s seal of approval. Even _with_ it people thought of it as that. And the Rebels’ little uprising had caused a massive drop in subscribers on Blondie’s part already. Now more than ever she depended on Apple’s endorsement to thrive.

Blondie gnawed on her bottom lip nervously. How to continue the conversation…?

“So,” she blurted out, “Daring, I hear your sister’s going to school here now. How is she?”

Daring’s expression darkened. “She’s hanging out with the Rebels.”

Apple frowned. “I didn’t hear about that.” Blondie noticed Apple clench her skirt, a habit she knew she only resorted to when she was holding back negative emotion. Interesting. This wasn’t her reaction to Dexter becoming a rebel. Why was Darling so important to her?

Daring shook his head. “It’s so beneath them, talking to people like that. I can’t imagine what dad will do if he finds out. I’m not going to rat them out or anything, but-”

“You should,” Apple interrupted. At Daring’s confused look, she added, “Rat them out, I mean. They’re hanging out with a bad crowd. Their parents deserve to know.”

Briar frowned. “Look, I’m not a fan of the Rebels either, but snitching Darling and Dexter to their parents seems low. I mean, why don’t we tell my parents about the parties I’ve thrown if that’s where we are now?”

Apple looked like she wanted to say something, but she pursed her lips. “I… you’re right. Sorry.”

Briar looked equal parts surprised and worried, and Blondie couldn’t blame her. In the first place, it wasn’t like Apple to resort to tattling. Secondly, it wasn’t like her to back down so easily. _One, two, three examples of strange behaviour,_ Blondie thought.

Judging from the look on her face, Apple really, really wanted this conversation to go elsewhere. And since both Ashlynn and Briar, her so called best friends, couldn’t be bothered, it was Blondie to the rescue. “Well, I know a thing or two about people you know running off to join the Rebels. Would you believe my roommate Cupid turned down my offer to sit with us and left to hang out with Raven and her pals instead?”

Just as Blondie had planned, the conversation steered towards her and her new roommate. Having the not-annoyed-with-you attention on her was very refreshing. And the grateful look Apple shot her wasn’t too bad either.

A small feeling of hope sparked in her chest. Apple and her were already on their way to becoming better friends. Something told her things were going to be very different this year.

* * *

Of course, Briar’s first class was her least favourite subject chemistry. How could it not be? This year was on its way to a crappy start, after all.

Apple wasn’t anywhere close to getting better. Blondie was annoying as ever. Daring remained an asshole. The whole Royal/Rebel garbage fire still hadn’t been put out. Everything was a disaster.

 _Not everything,_ a voice in the back of Briar’s mind whispered. _Ashlynn still rocks._

Briar smiled to herself. Of course, in the midst of everything Ashlynn was still an amazing friend. Briar was overjoyed to be sharing a room with her. A pity they weren’t having Chemistry together.

“Okay,” their professor said in a thick accent. Russian? German? Briar never could tell. “Good morning students, welcome to school blah blah blah, okay, first off, you will have lab partners.”

Excitement as students rushed to their partners.

“That I have chosen.”

Boos and hisses as students sat back down.

The professor began calling out names. Briar yawned and slumped in her seat. She hoped her lab partner was someone smart so she could salvage her grade. Suffice it to say that her last Chemistry grade had not been so hot. The last thing she needed was another lecture from her dad…

“Briar Beauty, there must be something very interesting outside window if you cannot even find strength to pay attention to class.”

Briar sat up, cheeks burning. “Sorry, Professor Rumpelstiltskin.”

He harrumphed but carried on. “As you would know if you were not staring into space, you are to be paired with Hunter Huntsman.”

Briar felt her blood go cold. That couldn’t be right. Hunter Huntsman was a known rebel. “Um, are you sure there isn’t a mistake, sir?”

Professor Rumpelstiltskin raised an eyebrow. “Why would you think this is a mistake, Miss Beauty?”

“Um, well…” Briar chose her words as carefully as she could. “Hunter and I are from… well we’re... we’re just different, you know?”

“Very smooth,” someone muttered aloud. Briar turned. It was Hunter himself. “You almost can’t tell that you mean, ‘I’m rich and she’s not’.”

A chorus of snickers from the Rebels. Briar frowned. “That’s not what I meant.”

Hunter raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What did you mean, then?” he challenged.

Briar glared at him. “I just meant we have clashing opinions, that’s all.”

“As terrifying as I’m sure two teenagers disagreeing will be,” Rumpelstiltskin drawled, “You and Hunter will still be partners. Your differing backgrounds are of none of my concern, and you’re clashing opinions have nothing to do with science.”

“But-” Briar breathed in deeply. “I’m just concerned about what affect this will have on my grade. My parents won’t be happy if I bring home an F.”

“I’m very confident in the security of my job, Miss Beauty,” Professor Rumpelstiltskin said smoothly.

Several ‘oohs’ and snickers circulated. Briar felt her cheeks burn. She suddenly felt painfully aware that most of the people in her class were Rebels, and the only Royals she recognized were clearly not going to be sticking up for her.

“You and Hunter will be partners,” Rumpelstiltskin concluded. “No and, buts or ifs about it. If you are done disrupting my class, I have other students to attend to. Go sit next to Hunter.”

Briar gathered her books and headed to Hunter’s table, feeling awkward and embarrassed. She sat as far away as possible. “Hey,” she mumbled uncomfortably.

“Hey,” he said. He paused. “You know for the record; I didn’t want to humiliate you. But I didn’t appreciate your comments about us being different or whatever. You kind of struck a nerve there.”

Briar flushed. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

“It’s fine.” There was silence for a while. Then Hunter said, “Are you any good at Chemistry?”

Briar immediately felt defensive. “Why? Do you think because I’m a Royal I’m terrible at chemistry? Because I am terrible at science, but that’s not the reason why.”

Hunter only laughed softly. “Well, we’re doomed then. Because I suck at chemistry too.”

Briar relaxed. “Oh. Sorry. Yeah, we are sort of screwed.”

Hunter gestured towards Professor Rumpelstiltskin. “You know if you tell him we both suck he might let us have different partners if you still don’t want to work together.”

Briar shook her head. “Rumpelstiltskin doesn’t give a fuck if his students fail. He’s one of those guys who doesn’t give As.”

“Seriously?” Hunter said, shocked. “Who allowed this guy in teaching?”

“Same guy who allowed me into school.”

Hunter laughed at that. Then he paused. “Look, I’d like to ignore this, but I know that the with this school is, we can’t. I know we’re on ‘different sides’ or whatever? But you’re actually kind of cool. And I really, really don’t want to fail Chemistry. So…” He offered his hand. “Cool?”

Briar studied him for a moment, looking for any signs of dishonesty, mistrust. Nothing. He just wanted to be on good terms.

She took his hand. “Cool.”

Hunter smiled. "Good. I don't want to spend the rest of the semester arguing."

"Yeah, school's already prison without inmate fighting too."

Hunter laughed at that. "You're really nihilistic, you know that?"

Briar shrugged. "I hear it a lot."

_It's true._

* * *

_Friends with Raven._

Apple couldn’t wrap her head around it. She knew Darling was angry, but to be so angry she would be friends with Raven? The very girl who had done nothing but cause trouble and stand in Apple’s way since she got here?

 _Maybe ignoring her was the wrong way to go,_ Apple thought. _Maybe if I had been honest and open earlier on… if I’d had the chance to explain this Daring business… she’d be more sympathetic. She’d understand. There’s so much more to this than she assumes._

It was Apple’s free period. Usually, she’d been in the library, but she needed some time to mull over this… this…

 _Betrayal,_ her mother’s voice whispered. _If she’s not with you, Apple, she’s_ against _you._

“That’s not true,” Apple whispered. “That’s not how it works…”

But wasn’t it? The Rebels and their ideals stood for everything Apple was against. Their existence as a group had angered Apple’s mother so much she had threatened to pull Apple out. They threatened everything- her role as president, Daring’s position as quarterback, Apple’s place as the most popular girl in school…

_Darling, Blondie’s roommate Cupid… who’s next? Raven has already gotten two new allies. You are in the same position you were last year. Briar and Ashlynn are banding together already, slowly drifting away. from you. Raven will have all the friends, soon. And where will that leave you?_

Apple swallowed. She needed to think about something else, _anything_ else. She needed to just… just talk her feelings away. Who could she even do that with?

She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts. Briar, Ashlynn, Daring… all the last people she wanted to talk to. She landed on Blondie. _Perfect._ She was literally the most talkative girl on the planet. She sent a text.

You: I need you to come upstairs to my room, now.

Her response was quick.

Blondie: On my way. What’s wrong.

You: Nothing. I just need someone to talk to, is all.

After some minutes, Blondie arrived. “Hey Apple!” she chirped. “My god, you want _believe_ who I just saw heading up to the O’ Hair twins room-” She stopped at the look on Apple’s face. “Apple? What’s wrong?”

Apple swallowed. “Nothing. I… nothing.” She inhaled. “I just have a lot on my mind right now.” She flashed her best smile. “So, who’s heading up to the O’ Hair’s room?”

Blondie sat down next to Apple. “Apple, given the circumstances, I think it’s best not to tell you,” she said gently.

Apple frowned. “Why?” she asked. _Was it Briar and Ashlynn? Are they choosing the O’ Hair twins over me?_

“I noticed your behaviour at breakfast. This person is… I think they’re important to you, and I’m not sure-”

“Just say it,” Apple said. It came out sharper than she intended to. Softer, she said, “I can handle it. I’m more thick skinned than I look.”

Blondie still looked unsure, but she said, “Darling. Darling and Ginger.”

Apple felt something ugly and dark inside welling up in her chest. She tried to suppress it. “Why… why would that be important to me?” she tried to say casually.

Blondie chewed her lip nervously. “You seemed… really upset she was hanging with the Rebels. Like it was a personal betrayal. I’m not going to push you for details, but it’s clear she was important to you.” Gently, tentatively, she placed a hand on Apple’ shoulder. “I want you to know, Apple, that she may have defected, but I’m still here. I’m still your friend. And so are Briar and Ashlynn.”

Apple scoffed at that. She couldn’t help it. “You must be seeing something I don’t, then,” she said. “They’re drifting away. I can see it. They’re making jokes I don’t get, making plans I’m not a part of. Briar’s favourite food is milk chocolate now. It was caramel before. It’s always _been_ caramel. When did it change? They’re so close now. I can _see_ them leaving me behind.”

Blondie shook her head. “If that’s the case, Ashlynn and Briar are missing out on an _amazing_ friend.”

Apple studied Blondie carefully. “Really?”

Blondie nodded enthusiastically. “Really.”

Apple felt a little blossom of hope bloom in her chest. Perhaps she still had loyalty in someone, even if it wasn’t someone ideal.

 _She may not be wealthy,_ she could hear her mother’s voice whispering, _but she controls the school’s most popular gossip column. And nothing on it gets published without your permission. And she’s so much more loyal than Briar and Ashlynn. Remember this morning when she steered the conversation away from Darling for you? Something Briar and Ashlynn, your so called ‘best friends’ couldn’t be bothered to do. She’s been your true ally, all along. It’s really time you stopped worrying about those other defectors and gave your real friend some appreciation._

Apple smiled at Blondie appreciatively. “Well, it’s great I still have a friend to rely on. Let’s talk about something different. Any fresh new for your blog?”

Blondie’s face lit up. “I wanted to bring that up,” she said. “So I know I said I was done with the Hood-Wolfs and their family, but I saw Cerise and Ramona having a pretty heated argument and I immediately saw the headline: ‘Red Riding Hood Vs the Wolf- Sibling Tension Already On the Rise Between Sisters.’ I know it _seems_ a little wordy, but if I could just get a little more info it would totally be worth the long title…”

As Blondie continued, Apple found herself surprisingly immersed in what she was saying. Blondie was keenly observant and skilled in picking up on social cues. It was no wonder she had picked up on Apple’s reaction to Darling so quickly. She was intelligent, and surprisingly funny. Her bubbly nature made it difficult to see her as a person with malicious intent, even if her actions suggested otherwise. For reasons she couldn’t quite put a finger on, Apple felt a connection with her. Perhaps it was their mutual focus on perfection, or their ambition in achieving their goals. With her friends, she always felt that although they liked her well enough, they not-so-secretly found her determination and her focus on her goals unsettling. Here was someone who understood a focus on getting what you needed, what you deserved. She could discuss her aspirations with Blondie without being judged.

Something told Apple that her friendship with Blondie would be successful.

* * *

Ashlynn was sitting next to the lake. Her feet were bare and the cool water lapped at her feet.

It was past curfew and she was way too far from school, but nature always made her feel better, and trees apparently only led to meeting handsome strangers who made you re-evaluate your entire life and consider your privilege when all you wanted was to brood over the looming possibility of your mother’s death.

Ashlynn had gone looking for Hunter today. It hadn’t been hard- apparently, he was a known rebel, and she was literally the only one who didn’t know who he was. He was, as she had suspected, super handsome, with tan skin and hazel eyes. She’d thought about talking to him, but she had a feeling that wouldn’t go over well. She’d visited the tree they went to last time, but after ten minutes of waiting it became clear, he wasn’t coming back.

Ashlynn scooted closer to the edge of the lake. She didn’t know why her conversation with Hunter had rattled her so much. Maybe because she’d always felt she was such a freedom fighter. It was weird to talk about fighting the man only to wake up one day and figure out you _were_ the man. She found herself studying all her friends excessively, trying to picture them as oppressors. It was difficult, especially for Briar and Hopper. She could kind of see it for Blondie or Daring. And Apple…

Apple was a special case, she decided. She didn’t know much about her childhood, but she’d met her mother, and she was wealth-obsessed. No doubt she’d passed that on to her daughter.

Ashlynn scooted a little closer, but somehow shifted too far forward and fell in.

For a moment she was submerged in water. After a brief moment of disbelief, she began to scrabble around in the water desperately. She wasn’t the best swimmer, especially under pressure, and ended up getting even further away from where she was before than intended. Eventually, she managed to get her head above the water and make a sort of weak doggy paddle to the edge of the lake.

She sat on the grass, shivering, not only from the cold but from what she had seen underneath the surface of the lake.

The unmistakable image of a dead body.

* * *

_When Briar was little, she used to think her mom was Sleeping Beauty, because she was always asleep. She thought all she needed was true love's kiss from a charming prince to wake her up._

_Eventually, she found out it was a coma, not a magical spell. And it was years of medicine and treatment that woke her up, not true love's kiss._

_And even afterwards, her mom was weak and always needed sleep. She forgot things. Sometimes little things, like the name of the book she was reading and what day it was. Other times it was bigger things, like the name of her person she'd met. Her job. Briar and her siblings._

_Briar knew it wasn't her mom's fault. But she didn't like being forgotten. And she didn't like that her dad put her in charge of her mom and her siblings all the time. Sometimes she had to stay up all night. She always felt sleepy during the day._

_Briar was always stressed out, but her mom was always eerily peaceful. Maybe it was because she was always in such a deep sleep._

_Sometimes Briar wished she could sleep forever._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so sorry for the long wait. I've had a lot of writer's block regarding this story and been caught up in different fandoms. I'm really sorry for letting you guys down.  
> That being said, I want to talk about some of the things I wrote in this story and why. First off- Apple. This interpretation of her is something I got going through the Azula tag on Tumblr. It pointed out that very early on in the series we see Azula equate disagreement to disrespect/disloyalty, which is something I can totally see with Apple due to her growing paranoia about her 'happily ever after'. The version of Apple we see in Dragon Games as she breaks the mirror is razor-focused on her ambitions, and if Ever After High was much, much darker, I think we would have seen a very interesting take on Apple's mental health. The root of Apple's issues is her mother's upbringing- in Dragon Games, she's very clearly manipulative of her daughter, and even when Apple herself is unsure about the morality of her actions, her mother's manipulation spurns her on. Although the Evil Queen threatened her into many of her actions, her mother manipulated her into the rest. I can definitely see Apple's mother as a voice of discord and disappointment in her mind.  
> In EAH, we see Blondie clinging to the idea she's a princess. I think that would definitely make her idolize Apple. In real life, that insistency that she's royalty translates into desperation for status and popularity, which she's automatically denied at school for being on scholarship. The idea of her idolizing and being loyal to Apple because she sees her as a) her savior for allowing her into her circle and b) everything she's ever wanted to be. She and Apple would understand each other because of their ambition and their desire to be at the top no matter what it cost, but be bad for each other for those same reasons.  
> I still don't think I'm doing Briar justice. I wanted to make the whole Briar, Ashlynn and Hunter situation more complicated, which was why I wrote Briar's POV the way I did, but I didn't feel I did justice to Briar's mental issues, which is why I wrote the last section of the story. There will be more on her in the next chapter, I promise.  
> Again, sorry for the wait, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	7. i'll be your storybook villain (but you'll never find out why)

“You really couldn’t find _anything_?”

Ginger shook her head. “Nothing. Not a single clue, not a shred of Royal/Rebel related memorabilia. Or anything connected to Brooke or her death, really. Nothing.”

Darling groaned and dropped her face onto the table. “She probably didn’t want her roommate snooping around. God, why was she so goddamn smart?”

“She’s lucky she was, or she would have been killed off a lot earlier,” Ginger said sombrely.

Darling’s heart immediately twisted with guilt for her words and sadness for the girl she had never gotten to know. It reminded her why she was doing this. Brooke was only the first casualty of this social divide- there would be more. They were doing this to bring the school to their senses.

“At any rate, we learned something about the O’ Hairs. That’s important, because Holly is a fairly popular Royal even though Poppy is a known neutral,” Ginger said. “If we get far enough to need more people with us on this case, they’re important allies to have, both being well-liked, reasonable people.”

Darling nodded in agreement. “Honestly, even though Holly’s a royal, you can tell it’s half hearted. I honestly think she just doesn’t want to deal with the fallout of being a rebel.”

“Exactly,” Ginger agreed. She then glanced at the still empty table. “What’s taking the others so long?”

Darling cracked a grin at Ginger’s comment. “They’re not late, Ginger, we’re just ridiculously early.”

Ginger frowned. “We are?”

Darling laughed. “ _Yes_ , Ginger. Look how few people are here but us.” She gestured to the one or two other students in the cafeteria. “We’re early as hell.”

Ginger scowled. “Great. All those guys who say people with glasses are nerdy were right.”

Darling laughed.

After a little while, the rest of the student body started to pour in, their friends included. Cerise plopped down next to Ginger. “What’re you guys doing here so early?” she asked.

Ginger shrugged. “Woke up early.”

Cupid slid into her seat next to Darling. “Morning!” she greeted cheerfully. “How are we all today?”

“Not great,” Dexter replied with a grumble. “ _Someone_ was playing video games all night.” He shot Hunter a glare.

Hunter flung his hands up in surrender. “Hey, I wasn’t tired. Had to find something to do.”

Dexter and Hunter began an argument, and Darling didn’t miss Cupid’s adoring stare. Darling snorted. She couldn’t wait to see how _that_ turned out. Dexter seemed pretty hung up on Raven, even if they were broken up. Speaking of which…

“Where’s Raven?” Darling questioned. By this time everyone had sat down. Raven should have been here by now.

Cedar frowned. “That’s true. Where is she?”

“I’ll ask Maddie,” Cerise said. “She’ll know, surely.”

Darling watched Cerise bound over to the Wonderlanders table. She wondered, idly, where they stood in all this mess. From what she understood, they were all still really attached to their old school- the place was a sort of crown jewel in their neighbourhood back home. They obviously had history, if they chose to be together despite the rifts in their sides in this story. How did they fit into all this Royal versus Rebel crap?

Cerise jogged back towards the four of them, a frown evident on her face. “Maddie doesn’t know where she is either. Neither does Kitty.”

“Maybe she’s sleeping in?” Cupid suggested.

Dexter shook his head with a frown. “No. I’ve known Raven for a while now- for all her complaining, she cares a lot about school. She’d never sleep in on a weekday.”

“Oh,” Cupid said in a small voice. Darling gave her a sympathetic look- the statement was just as much a reminder that she was still just settling into this group for her as it was for Cupid. Coupled with the fact that Cupid had a crush on Dexter, Raven’s ex, and the comment probably carried a lot more weight than he realized.

Maddie approached the table just then. “No idea where she is?” There was an edge of worry to her voice.

Cedar nodded, concern etched on her face. “She’s usually one of the first to come to breakfast.”

Cerise stood. “I’ll go check on her.”

Maddie nodded, her curls bouncing. “Me, too.”

The two headed up the stairs.

With the knowledge that an adequate search party had been sent after a central part of their group, the breakfast party returned to normal conversation. Soon, they heard a voice over the PA speakers. “ _Attention students. In five minutes you will be expected to attend an assembly in the auditorium.”_

Cupid’s brows furrowed. “Assembly? On a Tuesday? That’s odd. I thought we only had those on Mondays and Fridays.”

Hunter shrugged. “They probably have something important to announce.”

Darling felt her heart lurch.

“This early?” Ginger asked. Although she tried to hide it, panic was evident in her voice, at least to Darling. Darling knew she was thinking the same thing she was- the only major thing the school could have to report was Brooke Page’s death. And if the school was ready to reveal it, then they must have covered up all the evidence that could trace it to themselves, the students, and the fucked up clique system they had allowed to run rampant. Their chances of investigating Brooke’s murder could be dashed.

“Maybe they have some new apparatus or facility to talk about,” Cedar suggested. “Oooh- could we finally be getting better art supplies?”

Dexter snorted. “Not likely.”

“This school is super-duper sports oriented,” Ginger explained at Darling’s confused expression. “The only non-sport activities that get any proper attention are the ones Apple’s mom _wants_ to get attention.”

“Athletes here are like gods,” Dexter added. “It’s why Daring gets to be such an asshole here.”

“Why is he such a dick?” Darling wondered aloud. “I mean, I know he can be a jerk, but the way he acts _here_ is… rotten.”

“It’s the clout, man,” Hunter said. “Hanging out with the popular group, being the quarterback, having all those girls fawning over him… it got to his head. It made it a lot easier to poison his mind with heartless, capitalistic prejudice.”

Deter snorted. “Someone’s been watching a little too much CNN,” he sing-songed.

Hunter shoved him and he laughed. Darling smiled. Dexter was usually so shy- it was nice to see that this group brought out the best in him, and even nicer that she now knew most of them personally.

Soon they all filed out to the auditorium. Darling, along with everybody else, was relieved to see Raven, Cerise and Maddie at their seats. Raven smiled and waved at the approaching group. Cedar gave her a light shove. “Idiot,” she scolded. “Why’d you miss breakfast and not even tell us?”

“Yeah, we were all worried,” Dexter frowned.

“I’m sorry for worrying you guys, but I’m fine,” Raven reassured. “I just had some stuff to deal with.” Her tone made it clear that she didn’t want to talk about it and no one pressed, instead opting to sit down and switch to easier topics. Darling and Ginger, however, exchanged decidedly _un_ easy looks as they waited for the assembly to start. Were they going to announce Brooke’s death? Had Ginger and Darling left evidence they were down in the basement? Did the staff know that Ginger was the one who wrote scathing insults about Principal Milton Grimm in chalk on the girls’ bathroom walls? (Darling had been there. Ginger knew quite a lot of swear words for someone who looked so sweet.)

Finally, the man himself, Milton Grimm, stepped up onto the podium. The principal of Darling’s school looked like the sort of cruel old man your parents said would get you if you didn’t behave, with salt and pepper hair and an expression on his face that sort of made you think of crafty salesmen and cruel mayors. “Good morning students of St. Grimm’s academy,” he began. “I hope you are all having a wonderful year so far.”

“Not really, Milton-full-of-crap-Grimm. You kind of roomed me with the most annoying human being on the planet,” Raven muttered. Darling felt her heart twist at that. Once upon a time she would have been rallying to Apple’s defence. Now she could only sit idly as Cerise snorted in agreement and Dexter shook his head good naturedly with a half-smile on his face.

“I have a few announcements to make today,” Milton Grimm continued. “Firstly, I am happy to report that the nearby lake has been bought, and is now officially the private property of St. Grimm’s.”

Murmurs of vague interest rippled throughout the room. Ginger gave Darling a sharp look that she immediately understood. The lake was the perfect place to hide the body, and buying it was the perfect way to make sure nobody ever found it. Sure enough, Milton added, “However, it is not currently open to students as renovations are being made to it.”

Hunter immediately looked affronted. “What kind of _renovations_ do you make to a lake? This is corporate greed.”

Darling resisted the urge to say _No, this is a body dump._ She didn’t have a lot of faith in Hunter’s sleuthing skills.

Ginger nudged her. Darling turned to face her, asking in a hushed voice, “What?”

“Look at Ashlynn,” Ginger hissed. “She looks like she’s about to be sick.”

Darling followed Ginger’s gaze. Sure enough, Ashlynn had suddenly turned deathly pale, even a little green around the edges. Still, Darling wasn’t sure what it had to do with anything. “So?” she replied. Ashlynn was kind of an environmental activist too- that was probably it.

“If this was just an environmental rights thing, Ashlynn would look furious,” Ginger whispered. “But instead, she looks like she saw something _horrible_ in that lake.” She gave Darling a meaningful look.

Realization hit her like a brick. “The body,” she breathed.

Ginger nodded. “Ashlynn is pretty popular. She could easily get into spaces we couldn’t, and if she really saw the body, she’ll want this whole Royal/Rebel thing to end as much as we do.”

Darling nodded. Ashlynn would be a valuable member of the team. But… “We’re Rebels,” Darling pointed out. “Ashlynn’s not someone we can just… _talk_ too.”

“Then we start from someone else. From a fairly popular person with _access_ to people like Ashlynn. Someone who will be willing to talk to listen to us, and most importantly someone who isn’t _too_ invested in this drama- but who has a lot to lose if it goes overboard.”

Darling had a pretty good idea of who to pick and from the look on Ginger’s face so did she.

At the same time, they said:

“The twins.”

* * *

_“How’s your mother?”_

Raven clenched her table. She couldn’t believe Apple had the nerve to say something like that. She couldn’t believe anybody could idolise someone so- so _heartless._ Because that was the word to describe her. Heartless.

And even after their discussion that morning, Apple still couldn’t leave well enough alone, making passive-aggressive comments about Raven and her parents. Like the one today.

_“Say, Raven, isn’t it cool your dad’s a surgeon?”_

_“Yeah,” Raven replied, a small smile on her face. “He’s the best.”_

_Apple hummed. “He really is. One of the greatest surgeons in America. You’re really lucky. Like, if you suddenly have a heart attack, dear old daddy’s there to help you out. Or at least describe the exact circumstances leading to your death in medical terms at your funeral.”_

Raven had laughed then. Thinking Apple might not actually be that bad. Not knowing what she was going to say next.

_“Plus, when your mom goes to jail, at least there’s someone to continue paying for your tuition at St. Grimm’s, right?”_

Raven clenched her fist. She knew Apple was annoying. She knew she thought the world revolved around her. She knew she had no consideration for anyone who didn’t fit into her idea of acceptable. But she didn’t know she could be that cruel.

 _“Of course,” Apple continued as if she hadn’t just made Raven freeze in her tracks and contemplate murder, “Your father could come under fire, too. I mean, politics and medicine don’t exactly meet in the middle, but it_ is _possible. Who knows if all those embezzled funds went into his hospital, right?”_

 _“She didn’t_ embezzle funds _, the case is still underway, she’s innocent until anyone can prove anything-”_

_“Yes, right. Because your mother is totally in the public favour. After all those big companies she pretty much destroyed. All those laws she broke back in her activist days. Everyone’s rooting for her. Your mother’s going to jail, Raven. I know that much. Think about that, and whether you want to follow in your mother’s footsteps, next time you want to cause trouble at this school.”_

That bitch.

She was an _idiot_ if she thought Raven gave up that easily. If she thought Raven would kowtow to her and her pals. If she thought that she could just shove Raven in her place and she would go away. Raven would never, ever, _ever-_

“Miss Queen?”

Well, shit.

Raven looked up at her Music teacher, Mr. Piper. “Yes?” she mumbled.

Mr. Piper looked concerned. “Raven, open your palms.”

Raven did. She found crescent shaped marks deeply indented in her skin, bleeding a little at the edges. Murmurs of shock filled the room, as well as a few snickers.

“I’m not sure what’s troubling you, Miss Queen, but perhaps it would be better expressed with your guidance counsellor?”

Raven forced down her waves of anger. She knew this wasn’t Mr. Piper’s fault. “Maybe. As it is, sir, I feel fine. Please, continue your lesson.”

Mr. Piper still looked worried, but resumed his class.

Raven inhaled slowly. No. She wouldn’t let Apple get to her. She wouldn’t get herself or her friends in trouble. Besides, Apple was right- her mother really _wasn’t_ in the public favour, and having a ‘troubled, mentally compromised daughter’, as Principal Milton and the news would surely put it, wasn’t going to help her get out of this faster. All Raven could do was keep her head down and hope for the best.

A Queen, after all, she thought to herself with a slight smile, never stooped to a White’s level.

* * *

Daring had to hand it to Rosabella- she sure knew how to hide.

Ever since school had swung back in it was like she’d disappeared off the face of the earth. Daring couldn’t find her _anywhere_. He searched through the crowd, trying to pass it off as casual suave. Finally, his eyes locked on a head full of reddish-brown hair. _Ah hah._

Trying to walk fast and still seem effortless was a challenge, but Daring made it work. As he passed Rosabella by, he gave her a _look._ Her expression was unreadable, but he saw her give an imperceptible nod.

Daring felt a rush of triumph and fought to keep the grin off his face as they diverged paths, climbing the winding stairs to get to the upper floor. Making sure to walk as far apart as possible, they eventually reached a janitor’s closet and slipped inside. Daring shut it behind him and turned to Rosabella with a grin. “Hey Rosie,” he breathed and reached for her, but she pushed him away. Daring stared at her in confusion.

“You did it, didn’t you?” Rosabella’s voice was even, but her eyes held an unbridled fury he hadn’t seen since they first met.

“Did what?” Daring asked, perplexed.

“Brooke,” Rosabella said.

“Who?” Daring was really, REALLY confused.

Rosabella’s face was murder. “Brooke Page. _You killed her_.”

Daring almost fell out of the closet.

“ _What?”_ Daring hissed. “Rosabella I- you- HOW could you SAY that?”

Rosabella looked livid. “Brooke died at- “Rosabella took a shaky breath. “She died at Book End. I know that’s where you went that day, you posted it on Instagram- and you said you bought shoes but you didn’t, I _know_ you didn’t because you gave me your phone and you spent absolutely _nothing_ that day, _for once in your life-_ “

“What the fuck? Do you _know_ what you’re accusing me of? Who even IS Brooke?”

Daring heard, rather than felt the slap Rosabella gave him then.

“Brooke,” she said in a low, furious voice, “was my friend. She is dead because of _you_ and your stupid Royal/Rebel fanatics. Because she had the _nerve_ to not think that you should rule the school.” Rosabella glared at him through her glasses, though her eyes were swimming with tears. “Your sister is investigating this murder. I don’t know if this is just a scam to try and cover your tracks, but either way, I’m _telling her the truth.”_

With that, she squeezed past him and tumbled out of the door. Daring stared after her, not sure what he’d done that was so shitty Rosabella thought he was capable of murder.

* * *

There were a lot of things Faybelle hated.

She hated ball sports.

She hated rock music.

She hated Hopper.

But contrary to popular belief, she didn’t hate Briar Beauty.

Sure, she had a lot of reasons to. After all, Apple and Raven’s moms had their legendary feud, and Briar and Faybelle’s had there’s. But Faybelle could crush Briar anytime. She didn’t have to be mean to her too. Plus, they were both Royals, and it wouldn’t exactly be good for their image to have evidence of infighting.

So yes, for the most part, Briar Beauty and her were pretty good friends.

But that didn’t mean she wasn’t pissed about not being invited to her party.

Faybelle scanned the crowd for Briar’s face, finally landing on a head full of pink-streaked hair. She scowled and marched over to her, grabbing her by the shoulder. “Hey, ditz,” she snapped.

Briar blinked, then snorted. “What’s up, Faybelle?”

Faybelle put her hands on her hips. “You have five seconds to come up with a _halfway reasonable_ excuse for not inviting me to your party.”

“Uh, I didn’t know you wanted to come?” Briar offered half-heartedly, clearly knowing that wasn’t true.

Faybelle scowled. “Two seconds left.”

Briar threw her hands up in the air. “Okay! It… slipped my mind?”

She at least had the grace to wince as she said it, but Faybelle felt an unwanted feeling of hurt rise in her stomach all the time. Right. She forgot. This weird frenemieship was, for the most part, almost completely one sided. Briar had other friends. Blondie. Apple.

_Ashlynn._

Faybelle felt another unsettling churn in her stomach at the thought of the strawberry blonde haired heiress Briar had been hanging out with since middle school, one that had been coming on a lot lately when she thought of Briar.

She swallowed. “Yeah. Well. _I_ remembered. And now you owe me.”

Briar looked mildly annoyed, but mostly amused. She shook her head. “Really, Faybelle? Okay, fine. What is it you want? Invitation to the next blowout, obviously, but what else? Handbag? Tennis bracelet?”

Faybelle shrugged. “I’ll decide later.”

Briar chuckled. “Yeah, okay. See you.” Then she started heading off.

Suddenly Faybelle desperately wanted Briar to stay. The feeling overcame her whole body, settled into her skin. “Wait!” she called out.

Briar turned around, arching an eyebrow. “Yeah, Faybelle?”

Faybelle racked her mind for something, _anything,_ to make her stay. To make _someone_ stay.

“Your hair still looks dumb.”

Briar grinned. “And those fairy wings are still cringey.” Then her face softened. “Catch you later, Fay.”

Fay’s throat was dry. “Yeah. Catch you later.”

And then Briar left, leaving Faybelle the same as she always was.

Alone.

Unwanted.

Forgotten.

* * *

Blondie hummed happily to herself. As she'd predicted, things had been going exceptionally well. She and Apple were closer than ever. If Briar and Ashlynn noticed, they didn't say anything, which was her relief- the two had an, admittedly not baseless, mistrust of her that would definitely affect Apple negatively.

The only thing Blondie was having trouble with was finding a story to tell. Her viewers would be expecting a new story soon. Harmless gossip would keep them at bay for a few weeks or so, but she needed REAL dirt to keep them hooked and make up for that disgraceful subscriber loss- or she could find herself kicked out of Apple's social circle before she could say-

"Blondie, I need your help."

Blondie blinked. 

Her image of Daring was, admittedly, not as good as that of the other Royals' in their circle- the girls held the reins of the social elite here and everyone knew it- but she still had an _image._ Well dressed. Confident. In tip-top shape, a glittery smile to flash at every girl he passed by.

The Daring before her was... decidedly not that. His clothes a mess and his hair messy-probably, judging from his uncharacteristically nervous expression, from running his hands through it anxiously- he wasn't the well put together hunk Blondie knew.

Blondie didn't put that into words, though. Instead, in a delicate voice she usually reserved for wounded animals, she said, "With what, Daring?"

And in a fearful, trembling voice Blondie had never heard from him before, she spoke words she didn't think she'd be hearing until she graduated from Columbia:

"I need you to help me solve a murder."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun! Daring and Blondie are officially a detective duo! First of all, I am SO sorry for the late update. I can't say it won't happen again, but I'll try to make it happen less. Thanks to those of you who still support this fic in spite of my dumb ass, I love you.  
> Please don't go off on Rosabella too much! She has her reason to think Daring in the killer. He's pretty... shit, in this fic,  
> And yes, Faybelle! By popular demand. Her chapter time was unfortunately very short but in the next chapter you'll see more of her and she will form a solid connection to the plot- speaking of which, I plan to introduce a new branch of the plot regarding Raven and the school's history. (I am giving you content spoilers because I still feel guilty.)  
> On Faybelle's characterization, I feel like a large part of her character arcs in the canon universe are centred around loneliness, feeling forgotten, ignored, unappreciated etc. I noticed despite her mean girl status, she doesn't actually have a lot of true friends behind Duchess and that's... yeah, that's probably very toxic. Speaking of which, our favourite dancer will be featured in the next chapter as well!

**Author's Note:**

> yes I know it sucks bare with me please despite the cliche sounding premise it's not shitty just can't finish the chapter


End file.
